


Rabid

by myotishia



Series: Thin ice [1]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: ever wanted to see a baby weevil, we have a baby weevil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-09-25 19:46:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20377099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myotishia/pseuds/myotishia
Summary: A new year is in full swing but below the streets of Cardiff something is brewing.





	1. Patient zero

**Author's Note:**

> New reader? Start right [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18551278)

Gwen pulled on her coat, excited to see some of her workmates for the first time since new years. 

“Are you sure you want me to come along?” Asked Rhys for the third time that morning. He wasn’t sure he’d exactly fit in. Knowing that aliens exist and actually dealing with them were two very different things.

She rolled her eyes and brushed the creases from his coat. “Look, Jack’s away in London for some meeting or other and Owen’s at a medical thing so now’s the perfect time for you to come and say hello.”

“And um…”

“What?”

“How do I … Um… Well, last time I met your friend Elise she had two arms.”

“She still has two. One’s just made of metal. Just don’t think about it.”

“That’s like saying think of anything but a pink hippo. That’ll be all you can think about.”

“Just ask her about it then, she doesn’t mind.”

“I can’t do that.”

“I promise you’ll forget it’s even a thing. Stop fretting.” She smiled, kissing him on the cheek. 

“Do I look alright?”

“You look perfect. We’re going to a cafe, not the ritz.”

Tosh lent her elbows on the table, appreciating how quiet it was. 

“Think she’ll be upset Ianto isn’t here?” Elise asked, sipping her hot chocolate.

“She’ll understand. She saw the state he was in when we were gone. It’s no wonder he won’t leave Jacks side.”

“We could always just call it a double date.”

“That would make Owen feel even worse about not being here.”

“We could make it up to him when he gets back.”

“Still.” She reached over and stole one of the two marshmallows left on Elises plate, placing it in her mouth in one. 

“Cheeky.”

Gwen pulled out a chair. “Only you two?”

“Mm, Ianto’s been clung to Jacks side since the funfair so he decided to go with last minute. You’re looking great.”

“It’s all the lie ins. Oh, Tosh this is Rhys, Rhys Tosh.”

He awkwardly offered his hand to shake, which Tosh took with the same level of awkwardness, before sitting down. 

“So,” Gwen began, “How are things at work?”

“Quiet thankfully. We barely stopped before Christmas.” Tosh said casually.

“I feel bad for missing it all.”

“Don’t. It was a rough few weeks. Anyway, how are you enjoying your maternity leave?”

“It’s nice but a bit boring. I’ve missed the excitement.” 

Elise laughed softly. “Well for the last week you haven’t missed anything. You two want anything? I’m grabbing some more marshmallows anyway, as someone keeps eating mine.”

Gwen nudged Rhys who looked like he was a bit lost. 

“Oh, um, a coffee please.” He said, straightening up.

Gwen beamed. “Orange juice for me and a slice of that gingerbread cake. I’ve been craving it since last night.”

“Sure. Back in a sec.” Said Elise before trotting off to the counter. 

Tosh smiled softly, watching her go.

“Once Anwen is born, do you think I’ll be able to come back?” Asked Gwen quietly.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t you?”

“I don’t want anyone thinking I’m just leaving her.”

“No, no. We completely understand. Any plans for childcare?”

“I’ve got most of it sorted. It’s just emergencies that might be difficult.”

“Well, Jack has had kids in the past and Elise said she used to babysit when she was a teenager so I’m sure we could work something out.”

“Jack has kids?” Asked Rhys in surprise.

“At least one I know of. She’s all grown up now with her own son. I think Iantos sister has kids so he might be able to handle a little babysitting too.”

“I don’t know why but I never thought of him as the family type.”

“With Jack it can be difficult. It must be hard outliving your whole family.”

Rhys seemed deep in thought and then looked over at the counter. “Should I go give her a ha- I mean carry anything?”

Tosh looked confused but Gwen smiled. “She’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” His innocent eyes, filled with concern, reminded her why she’d fallen in love with him. “Not that I think she can’t it’s just polite, you know?”

“Rhys. She’s fine. She helps Ianto move boxes bigger than I am all the time. A single tray isn’t going to be an issue.”

Tosh looked between the two. “Did you hear she got hurt?”

“No, it’s just with her arm. I mean that can’t make things easy.”

“Gwen, didn’t you tell him about her prosthetic?”

“I did but I don’t think it sunk in just how advanced it is.” Gwen took her husbands hand to reassure him. 

“Oh I see.” 

Elise placed the tray on the table and sat back down.

“Eli, take your glove off.”

“In public?” 

“We can just say it’s a gauntlet.”

Rhys had gone a little red with embarrassment. “You don’t have to.”

“No, it’s fine.” Elise smiled, pulling off her glove to show the fully jointed metal hand beneath, flexing her fingers.

The man was transfixed with how the mechanical digits moved. “How?”

“It’s all wired into my central nervous system. My brain controls it the same way as my other arm.”

“That’s… That’s amazing. Is that…” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Alien technology?”

“No. I designed the arm myself, with some help from Tosh and Owen, of course. The only bit that isn’t completely terrestrial are the fibres that connect from the arm to my spine, and that’s mostly because it would take ages to synthesise and I was getting impatient.”

“You could patent it. Technology like that could change the world.”

“I wish I could but I don’t strictly exist here and the less attention I bring to myself the better.”

His smile faded. “That’s just so unfair.”

“We’ll work it out one day. I’ve got a few things set up just in case I personally don’t get to release the plans, but you didn’t hear that from me. Anyway this is still technically a prototype. I’ve managed to emulate pressure sensitivity in the fingertips, but not the rest, and I’m still working on temperature sensitivity. To do that I’d need to simulate the millions of nerve endings necessary but that’s much more complex than my current skills allow. I can’t always be bugging Tosh about my personal projects. I’m still working on that lightsaber and I think I’m pretty close to a breakthrough.”

Tosh chuckled. “I’m sure you’re making sir Isaac Newton spin in his grave but you’re getting carried away again.”

“Sorry. I can’t help taking the laws of physics as a challenge.” 

Gwen had been happily devouring her cake as they’d been talking, her eyes wandering to the cafe windows as she wiped the crumbs from her hands. She saw a group running down the street, followed by a familiar jump suited creature. 

They all followed her gaze and Elise stood. “They shouldn’t be in the city.”

“You shouldn’t go alone.”

“They won’t hurt me.” She said, rushing out after the weevil. 

Gwen moved to follow but even she knew that was a bad idea in her current state. “We can keep our distance but we can’t leave her out there alone.”

Tosh nodded and hurried out, trying to keep Elise and the weevil in sight. 

“What should I do?” Asked Rhys urgently.

“What? I…” Stuttered Gwen, not completely sure what he was asking.

“You can’t do anything so I should. What would you do if you could?”

“I’d go after them and help but we don’t have any weevil spray or a gun or anything else and you’re not trained to deal with them.”

“Then just tell me what to do.”

Elise skidded to a halt as the weevil turned, foam oozing from its mouth.

“Easy, I’m not going to hurt you.” She said, holding her hands so it could see she wasn’t being aggressive. 

The creature breathed heavily through its nose, growling. Its eyes were wide and there was a large tear in the sleeve of its jumpsuit, meaning it had been in a fight. 

“What are you doing in the city, huh? Did you get kicked out of your tribe?”

It didn’t mime its answer like she expected but lunged at her. She raised her arm as its jaws closed around the metal, screeching against the solid surface. Tosh caught up and grabbed the weevils arm, pulling back with all her weight. It wasn’t enough to hold the seemingly rabid creature down as it threw her across the street. She pulled herself up in time to see Rhys smack the beast in the head with a metal pole. It wouldn’t bring the weevil down but it stunned it enough for Elise to get some distance. 

“Nice shot.” She said. “Mind if I borrow that?”

He tossed her the pole. “Glad I could help.”

She swung the bar, testing its weight before slamming the rough, rusted, end into the weevils throat. The metal cut into its leathery hide but not enough to finish it off quickly. It staggered and huffed, spitting sickly yellow foam to the ground. 

“Sorry big guy but I’m not going to be able to bring you in alive. I promise I’ll find out what did this to you.” Elise said through gritted teeth, stabbing into the partially open wound on its neck as hard as she could. It fell, blood running in thick rivulets down its jumpsuit before all movements stopped. 

Gwen caught up. “What happened?”

“The poor thing was rabid I think. We need to get it off the street.”

Tosh rubbed her grazed elbow. “I think we still have some painting sheets in the boot.”

“Better than nothing. I think there’s a couple of rolls of caution tape in there too.”

“Gwen, would you mind just sending a text to Owen and Jack about this while I grab everything?”

“Sure, go on.” Gwen agreed, taking her phone from her pocket. 

“Thanks.”

She looked over to Rhys. “Are you ok?”

He nodded. “Yea… I think so…”

“Do you think you’d be able to help us lift this thing?” She asked, hating that she had to. To get the weevil out of public sight it needed to be moved quickly and Tosh wasn’t someone used to heavy lifting. She probably could take half of the creatures weight but for how long was debatable. Weevils were heavy, bulky, beings that were hard enough to move when they were alive, let alone dead weight. 

“I suppose. Wouldn’t mind some gloves though. It smells.”

“Yea, they do that.”

He moved forward a little to get a better look. “Ugly bugger, isn’t it? Where do they come from?”

“No idea. Well, we know they come through the rift but we don’t know where they started from. They’ve been staying out of the city for a while now. I didn’t even know a weevil could get rabies.”

Elise looked up from where she was crouched by the dead weevil. “It might not be actual rabies. At least I hope it isn’t. Once we get this guy on ice I need to go talk to Scar.”

“Rather you than me.” She took her mobile and found Jacks contact. It rang twice before he answered.

“Are you alright?”

“Yea. I’m fine… Aren’t you in a meeting? I was just going to leave a message.”

“I am but I’ve been to enough of these to recite the whole thing from memory.” 

She could hear grumbles and tuts in the background. “Well, we’ve got a weevil in the middle of the city.”

“I’m listening.”

“We think it might be rabid, or whatever a weevil would have that could do the same.”

“You’re not meant to be working, you know.”

“I wasn’t. It ran right past the cafe. Elise and Tosh had to go charging off to catch it.”

“Did they? Are they ok?” It was clear he was silently shushing someone in the background, slamming his hand on the meeting table when they wouldn’t shut up.

“Yes and they’re fine. Tosh has gone to get some plastic sheets to wrap the body in.”

“Good. I’ll be back as soon as, but until then how are you all planning to move the thing?”

“That’s the thing, would you mind Rhys doing a bit of the heavy lifting?”

There was a long pause then a sigh. “I guess we have no other option. I’ll contact Owen on the way back. You stay away from that body. You don’t need to get sick with whatever it has.”

“Really? I planned on hugging it, maybe propping it up in the nursery like a big teddy bear.”

“At least disinfect it first.” His smile travelled on his voice. 

“Go on, back to your meeting.”

“But that weevil’s more interesting.”

“Jack.”

“Fine. Tell your husband not to touch anything.”

She hung up the call, laughing lightly at Jacks ridiculousness, imagining the look on the government officials faces and Ianto trying to keep himself from cracking a smile. 

“So?” Asked Rhys, who had been half listening in.

“I was just making sure you were allowed to help. You are.”

“Was he telling you not to hug the dead body?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” He’d never quite been able to fathom the dark humour that dangerous or traumatic jobs cultivated.

“It was a joke.”

“I should hope so.”

Tosh returned with the plastic sheets, rolls of tape and a handful of disposable gloves. She passed a pair to Elise and pulled some on herself.

“Rhys is helping too.” Eli pointed out, unfolding one of the sheets.

“Oh, sorry.” She passed Rhys a pair too. “Here. Try and stay clear of its hands and face. Its claws and teeth can cut through gloves like butter.”

“And then you have to get like five injections while Owen makes jokes at your expense for being dumb enough to get that close to a weevils teeth or claws.”

Gwen cringed playfully. “The jokes are worse than the injections.” 

Getting the weevil, even tightly wrapped in plastic, had been a pain. They couldn’t wait for a larger vehicle so it got thrown on the back seats of Toshikos car, much to her annoyance. At least the trip back to the hub was relatively short and once there the body could be transferred to a gurney. Much easier to move. 

“Glad that’s done with.” Elise rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck. “Now I’ve got to go and see Scar.”

“Shouldn’t you shower first? We don’t know how contagious whatever that weevil had is.” Tosh pointed out. 

“Good point. You two should do the same as soon as you get home.”

Gwen nodded in agreement but Rhys was entranced by Myfanwy flying around. 

“We’ll be able to get together for a chat at some point.”

“Don’t worry about it. Just be careful out there if you’re going off to a weevil den. We don’t know how many of them are infected.”

“I will. But first, shower.” She took Toshiko’s hand and pulled her along.

“Eli, I should at least say goodbye.” The shorter woman said in confusion.

She stopped. “Ok. See you soon. Text you later. Will inform you if anything changes. My girlfriend isn’t getting the huge hints I’m dropping so I hope I don’t have to spell it out.”

Gwen laughed. “See you later. Have fun.” She waved and pulled Rhys towards the exit. 

Tosh waved as she was pulled along. “What hints? What did I miss?”

“You. Me. Shower time. No one else in the hub.” Elise said slowly.

“Yes, and?”

“And I want to spend this small amount of alone time on having my dirty dirty way with you.”

“Oh… OH!... Wait, what about today has you in the mood?”

“I’m going to have to go and deal with stuff I really don’t want to so I at least want something nice to concentrate on. So… You up for it?”

Ianto relaxed into the passenger seat, finally able to smile now they were out of sight of the prime minister.

“That was highly unprofessional.”

Jack smirked. “When they stop trying to talk down to me I might listen to them... Might.”

“So are you going to incur Owens wrath by calling him or should I?”

“I’m sure he won’t be angry when he hears what we’ve got for him.”

“I wouldn’t have thought he’d find a rabid weevil particularly interesting.”

“Weevils are highly disease resistant so anything that manages to make them sick has to be. You make the call and if he starts getting mouthy I’ll tell him off.”

Ianto rolled his eyes before hitting the call button. It rang three times before Owen picked up.

“Save me from these morons.” Owen grumbled.

“Not going well?”

“It’s like listening to a plague doctor go on and on about flushing demons from peoples heads. It might be better for everyone if the world ended right now.”

“Well, what we have isn’t exactly world ending, it’s a rabid weevil.”

“I’d tell you to sod off for taking the piss but you got me out of there so I’ll give you a pass this once.”

“I’m not joking.”

“Weevils don’t get sick like that.”

“The one currently cooling at the hub did.”

“Wait, aren’t you in London?”

“Yes. Gwen called us.”

“Why’s Gwen- You know what? Never mind. I’m heading back now before someone starts spouting some anti vax bullshit and I get arrested for knocking them out.” He hung up before Ianto had time to say another word.

“Owen’s on his way back now.”

“He sounds like he’s having the same kind of day as us.” Jack said, looking much more relaxed with a little distance between him and the meeting. 

“You’re going to regret saying that later.”

“We can handle a few weevils. They’ve just gone back to how they were before Elise got here.”

“The weevil spray was already losing its effectiveness. Would it even still work on a disease crazed version?”

“I doubt it. If they’re rabid then they’re always in pain so they probably won’t be able to tell the difference. It’s no wonder it ended up in the city. It was probably terrified of the water.”

“Jack, how quickly could it spread?”

“Worst case scenario they’ll start pouring out of the drains by the end of the week.”

Ianto looked out of the windshield at the road ahead, a deep fear rising in his chest. “No fear of crowded areas. Nothing stopping them just killing everyone in sight.”

Elise lent back against a large rock, waiting for Scar to join her. She’d set up a little alarm that, when she set it off, would tell him to meet her at the same place. It was a rudimentary system but it worked well enough. When he emerged he wasn’t alone. There was a junior weevil following him. 

“Hi Scar. Who’s your little friend?” She asked, looking down at the miniature creature who looked even smaller next to his giant elder. 

Scar huffed, pointing to the child then gesturing as if he was holding something to his chest. 

“Are they yours?”

He nodded. 

“You know about the illness that weevil we found today had, don’t you.”

He nodded again.

“Is this new?”

Yes. 

“Do you know where it came from?”

No.

“Ok. You need to make sure anyone who has the sickness is kept away from the family but not in the city. You can’t let them bite you and you can’t share food or sleeping areas. Do you know how to wash? Fresh water.” She mimed washing her hands and face, hoping he’d understand. 

He copied her movements then nodded. 

“I’ll call you again when I know more. Be safe.” She turned to leave but he made a short whine at her then pushed the child towards her. “You want them to come with me?”

He nodded and crossed his arms over his chest, whining again.

“Safe?”

He nodded enthusiastically before running off so she couldn’t argue the point. The child weevil looked up at her and gave a musical trill. 

“Oh Tosh is going to be so pissed off with me if I bring you back in her car.”

It blinked its large brown eyes at her and tilted its head. 

“Fine, fine. I’ll see if there’s any seat covers in there but you have to be good and sit still. And the first thing you’re getting when we get to the hub is a bath.”

Owen was glad to be back at the hub and smiled as he heard Tosh humming tunefully to herself. At least someone was having a good day. He considered asking Elise how much worse this anti vax thing was going to get but part of him didn’t want to know the answer. Mostly because he pretty much already knew it as she’d mentioned getting measles as a child and ending up in hospital. It was one of the reasons that needles never bothered her that much. She’d been too young to have had the jab at the time and it messed up her health for years. She suspected that was part of why her mother hated her. She couldn’t just be a “normal” child. Always back and forth to hospital, on this medication and that. He thought it was just the power of pure spite that she recovered at all. By 18 she was off all the medication and had some strength to her, channelling all of her frustration into her drumming. He remembered that coping mechanism from med school. Pouring every single ounce of yourself into anything other than thinking about the real problem. It was a form of self harm that everyone could see and celebrate. 

“You’re sounding happy. I heard something about a rabid weevil.” He said, throwing off his jacket onto his chair. 

Tosh jolted, as if pulled from a daydream, happy to see her boyfriend. “Oh, you’re back. Yes, the body’s waiting for you.”

“What happened to your arm?”

“The weevil slapped me and I skidded across the road. Just a graze.”

“As long as that’s all. Didn’t bite you, did it?”

“No. I’m fine.”

“So, why are you so happy?”

“Can’t I be in a good mood?” She couldn’t help smiling.

He lent on her desk and looked her in the eye. “What are you hiding?”

“Hiding? I’m not hiding anything.”

He stood back and looked her over, spotting a purplish red mark peeking from under the collar of her shirt. “I thought we were keeping that for home.”

“Wh- how did you?” She grabbed a folding mirror from her bag and held it out, pulling her shirt up over the love bite. “Damn it Eli.” She blushed.

“Hey, I’m all for that rule change.”

“It was a one off.”

“And I missed it? This day only gets worse.” He flopped into his chair dramatically, glad he didn’t land on his keys.

“Don’t be a baby. We’ll make it up to you later.”

“Where is she anyway?”

“Gone to talk to Scar about the rabies type illness. She should have been back a little while ago though.”

“I saw your car when I got here. You sure she’s not here.”

“Wait, what?”

“Yea. One sec’.” He took his phone and called Elise. Her ringtone played not so far away before the call went to voicemail. 

Confused they both went to follow where the sound had come from. They could hear Elise speaking to someone. 

“Now, be good and no biting anyone, ok? Maybe Ianto’ll know where we can get a jumpsuit small enough for you.” She stopped, hearing footsteps. The small weevil perfectly happy to stand there, one hand held by Elise and the other jammed in his mouth. He trilled lightly and looked to where he too had heard footfalls.

“Elise… Is that a tiny weevil?” Tosh asked, blinking. 

“Guys. Um… Yea. This is Junior.”

Owen looked around at the cameras, expecting it to be some kind of joke. “Junior?”

“Scar handed him to me for protection so I brought him here. He needed a bath and didn’t have any clothes so I gave him one of my old shirts.”

“Can we put him in a cell?”

“He’s a baby.”

“Put him with Janet.”

“And what if she rejects him? If he gets hurt I don’t think even I’ll be able to stop Scars wrath.”

The little weevil bobbed his head at the sound of Scars name.

“Yea, that’s your da.”

Owen crouched to get a better look at the creature. “We’ve never seen a weevil this young before. Mind if I do a few tests? I don’t think we’ll get this chance again.”

“He should be ok with a few, but you’ll have to deal with the rabid ones body first then decontaminate the whole area.”

“I know how to do my job Eli.”

“I’m just saying. And be careful what you put next to him, he puts everything in his mouth. On another note, weevils don’t like the taste of soap.”

“I think that’s an individual thing. I’ve seen Janet swallow a bar whole. Is he on solids?”

“He’s got teeth so I think so, but they’re not sharp yet. I think they have baby teeth like humans.”

“You got that close to his teeth?”

“Watch this.” She took her keys from her pocket, holding one of the key-rings above Juniors head. He looked up and opened his mouth like a baby bird. “He does this with anything you hold over him.” The second she put the keys away he put his fist back in his mouth as if nothing had happened. He looked at Owen and took a couple of steps towards him, sniffing the air noisily. 

“What’s he doing?”

“Identifying you I think. He’s used to living in a large family unit so he’s trying to gather what mine is as I’m his temporary carer.” 

Owen was mentally taking notes. He stood up. “Right. I’m going to deal with the dead one. Once I know what’s going on I want to see this one.”

“Ok… Oh, the dead one had a bite on his arm. I don’t think he was patient zero.”

“All the more reason for me to hurry up.”

  
  



	2. Investigations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As if rabid weevils weren't bad enough it seems there is a private investigator poking around where he's definitely not wanted.

Owen wished everyone calling the dead weevils condition rabies had been wrong. It wasn’t the same strain as was usually found on Earth but it was similar enough and there was a possibility of it mutating to cross species. The current ‘treatment’ for the virus would be extremely dangerous to administer to a weevil and it would be near impossible to identify an infected one in time to start. That was all also working under the assumption that he could create a vaccine for this strain in the exact same way as the terrestrial strains. It was a nightmare. Even trying to just eliminate the infected would be near impossible with where they lived and their tendency to fight out their arguments. Finding a mature weevil without a single bite wound, healed or otherwise, was unheard of. None of them wanted to just try and kill all of them. That option had never been on the table but that might have to be brought up as a last resort. There had to be another way.

“How’s it going?” Asked Jack. He’d just got back and was trying to catch up.

“It’s pretty much rabies. Can’t pass to humans or animals at the moment but there’s always a chance it could mutate.”

“Why haven’t we ever seen this before?”

“There could be a few reasons. The weevils we get might have been from an unaffected area of wherever they come from that the virus migrated to. It might have mutated from a different virus that is prevalent within their species but we haven’t recognised it. Or finally, who the hell knows.”

“Anything we can do to stop it?”

“Somehow eliminate only the infected weevils. Convince them to not bite each other. Or the one option that no one wants to think about.” Owen sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. “I’m still working on it.”

Jack rested a hand on Owens shoulder. “You’re more stressed about this than I thought you’d be. You ok?”

“Have you seen Elises new friend?”

“New friend?”

“Go down to the cells. You’ll see.”

Elise stood holding Junior up so Janet could sniff him through the window of her cell. The elder weevil had been unnerved by the small, wriggling, thing at first but had started to coo and purr at him. Jack stopped to watch silently, fascinated by the interaction. 

Junior pulled his fist from his mouth and reached for Janet.

“You ready to be in the same room? Ok, ok, calm down.” Elise chuckled as Junior wriggled and reached forward. As soon as the door opened Janet opened her arms and took Junior who clung onto her, trilling happily. 

“There you go. Remember you’re only babysitting. Aunty Janet needs to give him back eventually.” 

Janet huffed and hugged Junior. 

“Yea yea. Keep your attitude to yourself missy.” She said, closing the door. 

Jack leaned against the wall, “you could have told me you were starting a weevil daycare centre, though I’m wondering how they’re paying you.”

“Oh hi, you’re back. This is Junior, Scars boy. They’re all really worried about the virus and he thought the little one would be safe with me.”

“They know about the virus. Did he say how long it’s been around?”

“Not long. They don’t know where it came from either. I told them to isolate any of their number that are infected and to make sure they don’t get bitten.”

“That should slow it down a bit. If they’ve never seen it before then Owens first theories are already debunked.”

“Does he know what it is exactly?”

“Basically it is weevil rabies. It’s not the same of any known strain found on earth.”

“What if it’s intentional?”

“Huh?”

“I mean if you wanted to create chaos a rabid weevil would be the perfect way to do it.”

“Who would know about them and have the resources to develop something like that?”

“We’ve seen collectors with more than enough money. “

“I’ll look into it, though I don’t know what their motive would be.”

“There’s a million reasons why they might want that. I can give you the coordinates of Scars nest so we have a place to start.”

Gwen had just gotten comfortable on the sofa when there was a knock at the front door. Rhys had gone grocery shopping and he shouldn’t have been back for at least another hour. She pulled herself up, grumbling as it took a while to get properly comfortable. Opening the door she was met with a middle aged gentleman, holding a small notebook in one hand.

“Yes?” She asked, holding the door with one hand but keeping her foot behind it so it couldn’t be pushed any further. 

“I’m sorry to bother you ma’am, I was just wondering if I could ask you a few questions.”

This man was not a police officer. A journalist maybe? “And you are?”

“I’m sorry. My name is Quentin McIntyre with the McIntyre detective agency.”

A private investigator and not a good one. Wonderful. “And what do you want to ask me about Mr McIntyre?” 

“I’ve been hired by a gentleman whos wife went missing six months ago and I’m just trying to find anyone who might have seen her.”

At least he was up front. “I’m sorry to hear that. What was her name?”

“Do you remember a Mrs Machaela Lin?”

“That name doesn’t ring a bell. Sorry.” It vaguely did spark a memory. Just a name on a document but that was it. 

He took a photograph from his pocket and held it out. “You might not have known her name but maybe you’ve seen her before?” 

The face was one she recognised. The young woman was on record as being argerion but she wasn’t known to be missing at least as far as Gwen knew but she'd only glanced at the file. She shook her head. “Sorry.”

He took the photo back and tucked it away, swapping it for a business card. “Well, if you or anyone you know remembers anything could you contact me?”

“Of course. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.”

“Well, thank you for your time ma’am. I’ll leave you be. Have a nice day.”

“You too.” She closed the door and walked back to the sofa, the business card in hand. Sinking back into the sofa she picked up her phone and flicked through her contacts before hitting call.

“Hi. Yea, I’ve just had a private investigator at my door asking about Machaela Lin. Apparently she’s been missing for six months.”

Quentin smiled to himself as he got back in his car. The bug he’d placed just under the draft excluder brush of the front door was working perfectly and, though the sound was a little muffled, he could hear Mrs Cooper calling who he presumed was her boss. He reminded himself to give his secretary a raise for making the thing.

“He said her husband hired him to find her… Yes, he left his business card. McIntyre detective agency… He didn’t use my name, but he obviously knew my address… What should I do until then?... Right… I will... No you don’t need to come by. I’ll be fine… Right.”

He shook his head. “Never heard of her, eh?” What had this ex police officer got herself tangled up in? 

Ianto hadn’t wanted to leave Jacks side but he did have work to do. He knew it was clingy and pretty ridiculous as it wasn’t as if Jack could even die, but those six days had shaken him to his core. He hadn’t felt that alone in a long time and he wondered what would have happened if Gwen hadn’t been on leave. She’d helped him make sense of everything and come to a logical conclusion instead of the one his mind had been screaming at him. It hadn’t helped that he’d missed two doses of his meds and that made everything so much worse. He grabbed his mug only to find it empty. Heading back to the coffee machine he wondered if the prime minister was still fuming and it brought a smile to his face. The man had been insufferable, talking down to everyone, not just Jack. He had to have been compensating for something. Possibly the hair loss, definitely the lack of height and the excess of width. Jack was going to be all business and let the torrent of bullshit just wash past him in the meeting. That was until the diminutive gentleman had referred to Ianto as Jacks 'secretary’, and after being corrected that he was the Torchwood three head of administration (being the only member of a department did technically make you the head of said department) the man replied with, “Yes. Well. Whatever name you want to give it.”

And with that the last fuck Jack gave flew away, never to be seen or heard from again. The change in him had been visible. It was impressive and kind of flattering. Ianto was so deep in his thoughts that he didn’t even notice Jack approach. 

“Daydreaming on the job?”

Ianto jumped before regaining his composure. “I wouldn’t even think of it sir.”

“I should hope not. Be on your guard, Gwen just got a visit from a private eye.”

“That time of year again already?”

“This one isn’t just following us out of curiosity. Apparently he was hired by the husband of one of our extraterrestrial residents.”

“I didn’t know any of them were married.”

“They’re not. In fact, until she died a year ago, and she didn’t actually like humans.”

“So this investigator’s been given a false story.”

“And he knew Gwens address.”

“He’s been given inside knowledge.”

“Bingo. I’m just wondering why they chose Machaela to be the missing person.”

“What makes her different to our other residents?”

“Other than her being dead… She was the only one I know of originally picked up by UNIT.”

“Would you like me to look into this detective agency while you call Martha?”

“Tosh is already getting what we need from the detectives computer. I just wouldn’t put it past him to have been told where we are and that could put you face to face with them.”

“They wouldn’t be the first. I know the drill.”

“Just be careful with this one. I don’t want to retcon him until I know his source.”

“I’m always careful.”

Tosh grumbled to herself, frustrated that this detective seemed to have a paperwork fetish and an allergy to digitising anything. 

“Who still using filing cabinets?” She snapped, reading an email from Mr McIntyres secretary talking about a certain folder.

“Other than us?” Elise called back as she browsed a map of the citys sewer system.

“We only use them for old files, most of which have been converted already. This office is using a computer that still runs XP and has most of its paperwork handwritten.” 

“Very film noir. Think he still smokes in his office and calls women dames?”

“Not legally.”

“True, that is pretty chauvinistic.”

Tosh looked past her screen. “I mean the smoking.”

“That too. Oh god, do you think he wears a fedora?”

“I don’t want to think about that. How is this machine still functional?”

“Could be on purpose.” 

“Why?” She pushed her glasses back into place.

“For this exact reason. Can’t hack a system that doesn’t exist. This guy might just be paranoid.”

“You know what this means.”

“There’s going to be some breaking and entering in our near future?”

“Well, don’t sound so happy about it.”

“It’s better than marking out weevil nests on a map of the sewers. Did you know half of the sensors down there have been destroyed?”

“Since the weevils moved away from populated areas they haven’t required maintenance.”

“Luckily I can use a little educated guesswork to locate the nests.”

“Where do you think it started then?”

Elise turned her chair to face Tosh. “The only place I can think of is here.” She pointed to a red blip on the screen.

“In the middle of a field?”

“It’s a field now. Three years ago it was a military installation. I think they maybe left something behind when they moved out.”

“You should tell Owen. It might give him a little hope.”

“Is he having that much trouble with it?”

“He’s wearing his glasses.”

“Holy shit. You’re right, I must save him.” She stood, smiling, and skittered off to find Owen.

Owen felt as if he was just scraping his face against a brick wall, while that wall was calling him a moron. There was a reason rabies didn’t have a cure yet but it didn’t make him feel any better. He pulled off his glasses and tucked them in his pocket as he heard someone enter.

“How’s it going?” Asked Elise.

“Oh, it’s great, just dandy. If this jumps to humans we’re all a bit fucked but other than that.”

“Well, maybe I can offer you something to help.”

He turned to face her and crossed his arms. “Go on.”

“I think it started out life in a defunct military installation so there might still be some research there. And if nothing else it’ll give your eyes a break.”

“Tosh told you, didn’t she?”

“Yep.” She lent heavily on the railing. “She also told me that our P I has a mostly paper office so we’re going to have to go in if we want to take a look at his files.”

“It’s better than sitting here going in circles.”

“And if you don’t like your glasses then get contacts.”

“I always forget I’m wearing the sodding things. Anyway, I don’t need them all the time.”

“And that’s why you have resting bitch face.”

“It’s worked for me so far.” He smiled, pulling off his gloves and lab coat. 

Jack had opted to take on the private detectives office. The secretary had just locked up for the night and left as he approached the back door of the building. The place was almost charming with its lack of cameras or digital locks. The smell of stale cigarettes wafted from around the door, rising from the large group of discarded cigarette buts stamped into the concrete. This detective certainly had the aesthetic down. Jack could imagine the man standing by a window, with the blinds half open, monologuing to himself. The lock of the back door had been shoddily repaired at some point so it didn’t even need picking. With the right pressure just under the lock the door popped open. The hallway ahead was dimly lit by the light from outside, showing up the heavily worn carpet that probably hadn’t been changed in fifty years and wallpaper that matched. Mr McIntyre had his name printed on the window of his office door so it was easy to find. Inside was furnished with a desk, two chairs and a wall of filing cabinets. The desk was covered with assorted papers and manilla folders. Behind a roller blind on the far wall was a huge pin board covered in photos, notes and string. It was a conspiracy theorists dream. 

Jack pulled down a photo taken of Gwen and her husband looking down at the dead weevil. Of course he managed to see that. He tucked the photo into his pocket, studying the rest of the information on the board. McIntyre had already figured out where the hub was, and was certain that Machaela had something to do with Torchwood. He was a smart man but he couldn’t be allowed to continue digging. After taking down the information from the board Jack turned his attention to the filing cabinets. Each case was filed by the victims name so the right file was easy to locate. It contained a stack of handwritten notes and photos. He hoped that whoever had hired McIntyre wasn’t wearing gloves when handing over their ‘evidence’. 

The field that had once been a military installation showed no sign of its history from above, the only clue being a run down shed, half hidden in the trees. It had once been painted green but that had faded and worn away to a more grey shade. The roof was covered in moss but the edge by the door had been disturbed. The fact that the door was still intact said something wasn’t quite as it seemed. The door itself was unlocked but it would have been foolish to think even a decommissioned outpost would be protected by a simple wooden door. Inside looked like you would expect an abandoned shed to, dusty, dirty and the home to a lot of spiders. If it hadn’t been so quiet you could discount it all as just an oddity but one step onto the dirt floor of the shed gave it away. There was something underneath. Each step sounded hollow with a slight metallic twang like walking over the doors of a pub cellar. 

“Where do you think the handle is?” Asked Elise, moving the dirt around the edge of the room with her boot to find the edges of the metal hatch. “I tried to call Tosh but coms are just static right now.”

Owen paused. “Always good to know we’re on our own out here. I don’t think there is a handle, come outside for a sec.”

She turned and ducked through the door. Owen reached up where the moss had been disturbed and found what he expected. A button. The hatch lifted slowly, revealing a staircase. 

“There’s always a button somewhere.” He said.

Elise made her way down the first few steps. “More proof someone’s been here recently.”

“More proof military security is shit.”

“Or we’re walking into a trap.”

“You just had to say it, didn’t you?”

At the bottom of the staircase there was a branching hallway, both sides looking exactly the same. The decision of which way to go was decided for them as footsteps echoed from the right. Owen and Elise ducked into the first room on the left and hoped there was no one inside. Thankfully there was no one waiting for them but until the footfalls were out of earshot they were stuck, except the footfalls didn’t fade. They got closer and closer then stopped. There was no way out. Owen recognised the device that slid under the door. It was a modern version of the old mirror under the door trick. They were caught, nowhere to hide and nowhere to go. Both agents were ready for the door to be kicked open and a fight to ensue but it didn’t. A hissing sound filled the air and both tried to hold their breath as if it would help. Owen hit the SOS before he passed out. 

Quentin had seen two figures disappear down into a hatch, hidden inside an old shed. He was more used to tracking cheating spouses or uncovering the plans of conmen, not dealing with conspiracies and underground bases. No one even seemed to know what Torchwood did, only that you didn’t argue with them. Someone thinking that they were powerful had never stopped him uncovering the truth before so he crossed the field and ducked into the hatch as it began to close. He could hear multiple voices.

“The captain says to take them down to the doctor. Don’t know why we shouldn’t just shoot them in the head now.” A deep male voice grumbled. 

A second, who sounded more worried, spoke up. “Unless you want to get fed to one of those whatever you call them just do as you’ve been told.”

“I just don’t get it. Isn’t this one the alien bitch that almost killed him?”

“Yes, that’s why he wants her alive.”

“And him?”

“He’s just a bonus. Apparently he’s Torchwoods doctor. Could be useful.”

“Hopefully he’s easier to deal with than that freak Harkness.”

“We’ll deal with him later. Let’s get these two moved before they come round.”

Quentin held his breath as he saw the group of people, who looked like soldiers, march past carrying two unconscious people. Alien? What had they been talking about? The woman had sounded local but he couldn’t be certain of her immigration status. Maybe he’d been wrong that Torchwood had been responsible for Machaela’s disappearance. Maybe she had been part of their group. He needed more evidence and he guessed those two unconscious people would be able to provide it. 

Jack watched over Toshiko’s shoulder as Owens SOS popped up. As soon as the fingerprints on the documents signed by the mysterious ‘husband’ came back as Captain Wells he knew this could happen. They’d tried to contact both Owen and Elise but the signal was so distorted that a stable connection was impossible to establish. The SOS was set up to be small, and rout through whatever cell tower or general communications hookup it could find. 

“Tosh, call Martha and find out everything you can about this Wells situation. If she doesn’t know much feel free to crack open UNITs files and take everything we need.” Jack said as he pulled on his coat. “I’m going to get those two out of trouble and give Wells what he deserves.” 


	3. Once bitten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conclusion.

Owen awoke feeling like he’d swallowed gravel. He was on the floor, he could make out that much before he even opened his eyes. Squinting into the dim light around him he realised he was alone, ankle chained to an anchor point in the wall. Sitting up he checked himself over. Whoever had chained him there had emptied out his pockets and taken his gun. It was a trap, because of course it was. Couldn’t just snoop around an old base without losing consciousness at least once. Even if coms were back up his earpiece was gone. He could hear growling beyond the wall to his right that sounded familiar. A weevil. Made sense if they were developing the virus down here. There were no cameras he could see so he decided it was time to get out. 

Owen unlaced his boot and pulled off the thick socks he’d been wearing. It would be tight but he might be able to pull his foot through the shackle. People always forget that clothes can be removed to facilitate escape. The shackle was old and the edges were sharp so it wasn’t going to be easy. He clenched his jaw and pulled as hard as he could, skinning his heel in the process. Better sore than trapped. Now to find Elise and his stuff.

Elise awoke with a jolt, freezing cold water being dumped over her head. She gasped through the temperature shock, realising she was bound to a chair as she couldn’t even cross her arms to keep in some warmth.

“What the fuck?!” She spluttered, water running down her hair and face. 

Captain Wells tossed the bucket aside. “You were taking too long to wake up.”

“Who are you?”

The question caught him off guard for a moment before rage began to twist his features. “You turn my own men against me, get the others arrested, nearly kill me and you have the balls to pretend you don’t remember me?!” 

“I have no idea who you are. What the hell do you want from me?!” 

He backhanded her across the face in a rage. “Fine, play dumb! It doesn’t matter, you’ll still end up dead like the rest of those alien monsters.”

She spat out a mouthful of blood from her freshly split lip and glared at him. 

“Dr Sharp, here’s your new test subject.” He called out of the doorway before marching out. 

Dr Sharp was a man in his late 70’s who walked with a stick. His right ankle had a shackle locked around it connected to a long chain. He looked at Elise with sympathy. 

“Oh dear. Are you alright? What kind of man hits a woman?” He grumbled, setting about unbinding her wrists. “I’ll see if I can find something warm for you.”

“What did he mean test subject?”

“Don’t worry. I’m not testing a bloody thing on you. I refuse to be threatened into testing on humans. Whatever you did to Wells I hope it hurt.” He said, examining her lip. 

“Wells? I think I’ve heard that name before but I don’t remember his face.”

“The man’s unhinged so it doesn’t surprise me. Can you untie your ankles, my back doesn’t allow me to bend down these days.”

“Yea. Sure. I’m Elise by the way.” She lent down and loosened the knots that kept her legs pinned to the legs of the chair. 

The white haired gentleman stepped back. “I wish circumstances were better but it’s nice to meet you Elise. I’m Doctor Piotr Alexi Sharp, formerly retired researcher.”

“You don’t seem to be here of your own free will.”

“That would be because I’m not. I spent twenty years trying to find a cure for rabies and apparently that meant I was very useful in developing a version that would affect these creatures.”

She stood and stretched. “The weevils.”

“So that’s what you call them. Tell me, what are they?”

“Basically, angry ape men from god knows where. They live in the sewers.”

“Poor things. Follow me to the lab and I’ll see what I can do about that lip.” 

“It’ll be fine.”

“Nonsense. No use in it getting infected for no good reason. Wells tells me there was a man with you.”

She realised Owen wasn’t there and she had no idea what had happened to him. “Owen.”

“Ah, I see he’s more than just a workmate.” He said softly, sadness in his eyes as he lead her out into the hallways and towards the lab. 

“I need to find him. Make sure he’s ok.”

“He’s fine. On a short chain but fine. He’s a doctor too, correct?”

“Yea.” 

“Then he’s useful. He won’t be harmed.”

“Still.”

“Trust me, he’s in a better position than we are. Now, you just take a seat over there.” He entered the lab and pointed to a chair with his walking stick. “You’re part of Torchwood, aren't you?”

She tentatively sat in the chair she’d been pointed to. “Yea. You know us?”

“Directly, no. But a long time ago my team in UNIT had a bit of a run in.” He smiled fondly. “Back then I had just left a teaching hospital and I may as well have been a child to the rest of my team. My boss, a brute of a man with an attitude more sour than a handful of lemons had been making comments about some of the female members of your institute. Well, in sweeps this handsome young american, all charm and long coat and puts the sour old bastard in his place. It took me everything I had not to laugh. What was his name?... Started with a J I think.”

She smiled before wincing at the pain from her lip. “Captain Jack Harkness.”

“Yes, yes, that was the name. How on earth did you know that?”

“He’s still around.”

“Really? How is he these days?”

“Charming as ever. Probably hasn’t changed much… Or at all.”

Dr Sharp laughed warmly and handed her a couple of towels. “I’m sorry I can’t offer you more.”

“No, this is good. Thank you. Can I ask something?”

“Of course my dear.”

“Is there a way to cure the weevils?”

He slowly walked over to grab another chair and pushed it to face Elise before he carefully sat, his body aching. “Well, even though I helped it jump species it’s still rabies.”

Her face fell. “Oh. I see.”

“But I do have something that, if administered within forty eight hours of infection can kill the virus before it takes hold. Much better than the vaccine in common use now.”

“That’s brilliant. That means some can be saved.” She smiled again and regretted it. 

“I could stitch that up or glue it but I don’t have many painkillers here.”

“Glue is fine. I’m not frightened of a little bit of stinging.”

He nodded and got up, returning with antiseptic, swabs and skin glue. With a fresh set of gloves he set about cleaning the cut and getting it glued together as she didn’t seem in any position not to move it too much. 

“All done. Just keep still for a little bit, no talking or smiling. I wish all of my patients had been as agreeable as you.” 

Jack was worried. He’d seen the detectives car parked just outside the field when he arrived. The mans heart was in the right place but that was worse as people with good hearts often got themselves hurt. 

“Tosh, any word from Martha?”

Her reply was filled with static but still understandable. “She said that captain Wells body was not found after the crash and though most of his men were arrested, some escaped. She also tells me one of their retired medical researchers went missing a month ago.”

“Got a name for me?”

“Doctor Piotr Sharp.”

“Huh, old guy’s still kicking. Good for him.”

“UNIT’s been trying to deal with it quietly and apparently Martha had been sworn to secrecy.” 

“Sounds like I’ll be having a very important conference call with them when I get back. Are you able to get control of this base?”

“Way ahead of you. I’ve disabled the cameras and I can get the door open for you but communication’s going to be near impossible beyond this point.”

“A way in’s all I need. If you don’t hear anything in an hour then send my coordinates to Martha.”

“I will. Good luck in there.”

“Who needs luck when you’re as good as me.” He swore he could hear her roll her eyes. The hatch opened and he rushed inside, hoping there wouldn’t be anyone waiting for him.

Owen pulled the detective by the back of his shirt, just in time as one of Wells men turned a corner. Quentin was about to shout when he recognised who had grabbed him as on of the unconscious figures. 

“Just shut up before you get us both killed.” Owen whispered, making it very clear he wasn’t taking anything other than silence for an answer. After a tense few moments the soldier was out of earshot.

“Who are you and why are you here?” Owen hissed.

“Quentin McIntyre of the McIntyre detective agency. I’m trying to find Machaela Lee and I know she has something to do with Torchwood.”

“Listen mate, you are in way over your head and you’ve been sent on a wild goose chase. If you want to live you need to get out of here.”

“I know Machaela had something to do with-”

“She died over a year ago. I should know, I was there.”

“What?”

“She died of a brain aneurysm. Nothing we could do.”

“Then why couldn’t I find a death certificate?”

“Because there isn’t one, or a birth certificate. You’ve got what you want so get out.”

“Then who hired me?”

“I don’t bloody know. Probably one of this lot to keep us busy. Now are you going to go or are you going to be a twat and try and follow me around? Because I’m not in the mood to be dealing with bullshit right now.”

“What was that thing that your people were guarding? They stabbed it in the neck.”

“Fucks sake.” He growled walking past the detective and to where the soldier had come from. McIntyre followed like a lost puppy. 

“What are you looking for? Don’t you want to get out of here?”

“Not without Elise. Anyway, I was carrying a lot of kit that I’m not leaving behind for these dipshits to break.”

“The woman that was with you. She’s Torchwood too.”

“Yep.”

“So what should I call you?”

“Getting annoyed, but other than that, Owen.”

“Right, Owen, what do they want with you both?”

“We’re trying to stop their little rabies plan and being at they knew we were coming I’m pretty certain we’ve dealt with them before.”

“They look military.”

Owen stopped in his tracks, everything slotting into place. Quentin had to stop sharply so he didn’t bump into the man.

“I know exactly who these people are and I need to find Elise before they kill her.”

“Kill her?” 

“She’s fucked up their plans before.”

“Then let’s find her.”

“Just don’t get in my way.”

An adult male weevil cowered in its cage, hunched over even more than usual. 

Dr Sharp frowned. “I’ve never seen him do that before.”

“It’s me.” Elise stated and turned her attention to the weevil. “It’s ok. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m going to try and get you out of here.”

The weevil tentatively approached and nodded, huffing. 

“It understands you. I didn’t know they could understand human language.”

“They can’t usually. You know they’re not that different than humans. They have families, friends, worry about their children. They might have sharp claws and teeth and they’re 90% rage but they are still a social species.”

“You’re a researcher.”

She turned her head. “Me? No, no. My boyfriend’s a doctor, and my girlfriend’s a technological genius but me? I’m just an idiot who can use a welding torch and these big guys happen to be afraid of. I find them kind of fascinating. Like snakes or alligators. Yea they can rip your arm off if you get close but that doesn’t take away their right to live.”

He chuckled warmly. “I always wondered what kept you Torchwood lot going but I think I’m starting to understand. Now, do you think you’ll be rescued soon?”

“I hope so but we shouldn’t just sit here waiting. First things first, lets get that chain from you.”

“We don’t have anything that could cut through it here.”

“Any liquid nitrogen?”

“That we have.” He lead her to another room and handed her a canister. “Please be careful.”

“Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.” She straightened out a piece of the chain and poured the liquid over it, a fine mist rising into the air. Once it looked dry she picked it up with her left hand and squeezed. A cracking sound came from between her fingers and the sides of the chain fell away. The doctor looked shocked at what he’d just seen. 

She smiled and shook the rest of the frozen chunks from her hand. “I might not be a genius but I did manage to get through secondary school.”

“Your hand is-”

“Yea. My arm’s bionic. My partners helped me build it. They’re the best.”

“I’d love to speak with them after all of this is over.”

“OI!” A booming voice came from the doorway. One of the soldiers glaring at them. “What are you doing out of your cell?! And you know better than this sharp!”

“I will not test on a human being. I already told all of you that!”

“You do as we say.” He marched over and moved to grab Elise. 

She picked up the canister and splashed the rest over the soldiers arm, stopping him in his tracks and making him roar in pain. While he was reeling she grabbed one of the small chairs and brought it down over his head, knocking him out. 

Jack had been shocked at the state of some of the weevils kept bound and locked away in the base. They were out of their minds, frothing at the mouth and desperately trying to claw at themselves. The worst thing was the sound they made; a gargling, mournful wail that hit you in the chest before your mind could register what you were even hearing. This was wrong. He saw a familiar face walking towards him, followed by a not so familiar one. 

“Jack!” Owen said, relieved he wasn’t the only capable one around anymore.

“Good to see you in one piece. Where’s your other half?”

“I’ve been looking but I haven’t found her yet. This is Wells doing, isn’t it?”

“Yea. He’s the one who hired-” He looked at the detective. “Mr McIntyre. Who shouldn’t be here.”

“I told him that.” 

Quentin rolled his eyes. “There’s a young woman in danger. I can’t just walk away from that.”

“She doesn’t need a hero. Frankly, if it was a fight between you and her, she’d win. And we’d laugh.”

Jack smiled internally at Owen being territorial, usually keeping that exclusively for Tosh. “We shouldn’t go in unprepared.”

“Great idea but they took everything and I have no idea where they put anything.”

“Knowing Wells’ ego I’m sure he’s put an office together for himself and he’s going to want everything under his control. We should start there.”

“Well, it’s not back there and I’m guessing you haven’t passed it on your way through.”

“From what I’ve heard from these guards it’s not far from the lab and that’s on the lower level.” Quentin pointed out, determined to help even if he wasn’t wanted. 

“It’s a start. If you’re not going to leave then just don’t get yourself shot.”

Captain Reginald Wells rubbed at the back of his hand, his rage not subsiding one but. His left shoulder ached. The deep scars from the weevil bite and ensuing infection were a constant reminder of his failure, along with the large chunk of his ear that was missing, shot off by a man he’d trusted. He’d practically crawled away from the wreck and had just kept moving. He knew if he stopped he’d be found. Once he hit civilisation he gave a fake story about a hunting accident and wild animals so he could be taken to the hospital. He'd given a fake name and as soon as he was able he’d left. All of it was that bitches fault. If she’d just sat in the van and stayed quiet his plan would have worked. If the doctor didn’t want to test on her then he’d just throw her into a cell with one of the infected. Yes, that was perfect. He stood, a twisted smile on his face, and left his office. He marched down to the lab to find the doctor missing but one of his men was just coming round on the floor. The old man couldn’t have gotten far. He saw a few water droplets leading away from the door. Following the breadcrumb trail it didn’t take long to catch up.

“Freeze! Both of you, unless you want to die.”

Dr Sharp turned. “Elise, you go. He won’t kill me.”

“I’m not leaving you. Your beef’s with me Wells, leave Dr Sharp out of this.” She growled, placing herself between the doctor and the captain.

“You’re not in control here. Now, step back and keep your hands where I can see them.” Said Wells, his gun aimed steadily at her. She complied but Piotr lifted his walking stick up like a weapon.

“You’ve lost your mind! Stay back and let her go or I’ll never finish your evil little project.”

Wells smirked before charging and slamming the elderly doctor into the wall, dropping him to the floor. Elise moved to help the fallen man but found the barrel of a gun pressed to her forehead. 

She put up her hands. “Don’t hurt him, please.”

“Walk, that way.” He gestured towards a set of steps up to the next floor. Keeping her hands in the air, she complied. To teleport she’d need to concentrate and she couldn’t do that with the risk of getting a bullet between her shoulder blades. Where was he sending her? Her question was answered as she heard the cries of a diseased weevil behind a heavy door. He pulled the slide lock back and opened it, pushing her forwards and into the room. The door locked behind her, she had nowhere to go and the bindings holding that crazed beast were frayed and ready to snap. 

Jack had taken the lead and found the office but a sound pushed him to move further. “Owen, go and get what you need from in there. I’ll be right back.”

Owen knew better than to argue. 

Further down he could see a figure crumpled to the floor, wearing a white lab coat. 

Dr Sharp looked up and his eyes immediately shot wide. “Captain Harkness?” He asked before he coughed and gripped his ribs in pain.

“Yes and no. It’s a family name. What happened to you?” He asked, crouching next to the doctor.

Sharp gave him a scowl. “Don’t give me that nonsense. I’m a doctor. I know how genetics work and they don’t work like that.”

“You got me there.” He smirked, remembering just how blunt Dr Sharp had been.

“Dear god you haven’t aged a day in all this time, unlike some of us.”

“You’re not doing too badly for your age.”

“It feels like I am.” He coughed again. “You need to help Elise. Wells took her that way.”

The captain nodded and looked back. “Owen!” He called as he helped Dr Sharp to his feet. “Owen, this is Dr Piotr Sharp. I think he’s got a couple of broken ribs. I need to go ahead and find Elise.”

Owen let the old doctor use him to stay standing as Jack let go. “Bring her back in one piece.”

Jack nodded and sprinted off, leaving Owen and Quentin to help the injured retiree. 

Elise readied herself for a fight as the weevils binding snapped. It charged and she managed to block its teeth with her left arm but she ended up being slammed backwards, into the wall. She used the surface to kick off from to push the creature back. It stumbled but dug its claws into her back. Burning pain radiated from the gouges in her skin and she cried out, pulling back her left arm. The weevils teeth snapped and it reeled back, the yellowish white foam oozing from its mouth turning red. She breathed through the pain and vowed to herself that she would get revenge, not only for herself but the poor bastard she’d been pitted against. It was still holding its mouth when she went on the offensive. She moved behind it while it was distracted and punched it in the base of the skull. If she was lucky she could break its neck.

She was not lucky. It roared and span around, throwing her to the floor and winding her. She gasped for breath as the drooling creature loomed above. This was how it ended. Killed by a bloody weevil. In the pain haze she hadn’t even heard the door open but she did see the front of the weevils forehead blow out. It crumpled to the floor. Jack offered his hand to help her up which she gladly took.

“Great timing.” She smiled, catching her breath. 

He moved to help steady her but as he felt how damp her back was he stopped, wincing as he saw bright, fresh, blood drip down to the floor. “I’m sorry I wasn’t faster.”

“It’s just a scratch… Did you find Dr Sharp?” She held his arm tightly to help keep her from falling. 

“I did. Owen’s with him. Your back’s-”

“We should get back to them before Wells gets to them.”

“We will.” He wrapped an arm around the back of her legs and picked her up. “But you can’t run.”

“I can walk… I’m getting blood on your coat.”

“Ianto’s a miracle worker, it’ll be good as new in 24 hours.” He smiled, though it was clear he was worried as he moved as fast as he could carrying her. 

Dr Sharp was tougher than he looked but his age was really catching up with him. He appreciated Owens stash of painkillers that made it a lot more comfortable to sit and breath. Owen and Quentin had the injured soldier locked in one of the cages. 

“What are these things? How many are there?” Asked McIntyre, staring at the male weevil that looked like it was torn between wanting to bite his face off and swiping at the other cage. 

Owen was going to answer just to shut the man up when he saw Wells get to the doorway. He wasn’t waiting for some overblown speech. He drew his gun and fired, hitting Wells in the gut. The man staggered and grabbed for his rifle, getting a bullet in the head for his trouble. 

Quentin stared at the corpse. “I need to go back to following cheating husbands. This is all… This is all just-” His stomach lurched. 

Owen sighed and kicked a bin over to the detective. “Right, I’m going to go help find Elise. You ok doctor?”

“I’ve been through much worse my boy. Go and find her. Oh- oh my-” He stuttered, seeing Jack carrying a person in a deep red shirt. No, the shirt had been light blue. The stretchy fabric had small holes in, but it only hid the damage underneath. 

“She fought a weevil. No bites, just scratched her up badly.” Jack said, sitting her down on the table. 

Owen cut away the back of her shirt as she lent on Jack, a little woozy. “Christ. These are going to need stitches. Right, Eli I need you to lie on your front. You’re losing a lot of blood and I’ve only got limited anaesthetic so this is going to hurt.”

Elise nodded but still needed help to not slam herself down. Jack sat in front of her, holding her hands 

“There goes my summer wardrobe.” She smiled through gritted teeth. 

Jack smiled and shrugged. “I dunno. They look pretty symmetrical. Could turn it into a fashion statement.”

“Weevil fight chic. Now if only it didn’t hurt so much to get that wa- sonofa!”

“Your friend left part of a claw.” Said Owen, hoping it hadn’t left anything else. 

“You’re lucky I love you otherwise I would punch you in the leg right now.”

“We’ll see how long your willpower to keep your fists to yourself lasts when we get back and you get the fun of all the fun blood tests you’ve got to have.”

“That I can handle. Plus it can’t be any worse than this. Oh, and Dr Sharp has a kind of cure for the weevils.”

Piotr smiled and shook his head. “Only for the first 48 hours after infection but yes. Do you need any help over there? I’m old and sore but I can still work.”

“Thanks but this isn’t the first time I’ve had to deal with this kind of thing. I’m going to have to restock my supplies though.” Said Owen, hoping what he had on him really would be enough. With the bleeding starting to slow he could see the extent of the damage. It wasn’t pretty but it wasn’t as deep as he’d feared 

A gruff voice came from the locked cage. “So when does she start foaming at the mouth then?”

Elise raised her left hand and flipped him the bird. “How’s your arm? Chilly?”

“Fuck you! This isn’t over just because Wells is dead.”

“Yea it is. Now shut up before I tell Bitey over there that he can have you for dinner. I’ll do it. I’m in enough pain to not care.”

The man lost all of the bravado he was showing as the weevil stared him down.

The sound of shouting came from above. Jack relaxed his shoulders. “Sounds like the cavalry’s arrived. And they probably have more painkillers.”

She looked up at him, squeezing his hand. “I really hope so. Weevil scratches burn like hell.”

Jack drove Quentin back to his office, promising to explain everything so it wouldn’t play on his mind for the rest of his life. The detective earned that much. At least that was the line Jack fed him. Sitting in a surprisingly comfortable chair in the detectives office Jack held up his glass of whisky. Quentin was already on his second.

“I still can’t believe I fell for his fake sob story. I believed it even when things didn’t add up.” Quentin sighed.

“You want to think the best of people. That’s not such a bad thing.”

“No but it could have got me killed. I knew being a detective was dangerous when I started all this but… That was something else. So much blood.” He finished his second glass, staring into his desk. Jack topped up his glass for him, slipping the small retcon pill in, knowing it wouldn’t be noticed. 

“Not everyone can handle it. That’s why we’re here, so no one else has to.”

“I got it so wrong. I was so sure you were the bad guys.”

“From the outside it can look like sometimes we are. We have to be.”

“I’d rather you than me… God I’m exhausted.” He knocked back what was left of his drink.

“You sure you don’t want to go home?”

“Yea. I prefer the office to an empty house. Gives me a reason to get up in the morning. Oh, while I’m thinking about it, I left that bug under Mrs Coopers door. I should… Should…”

“I’ll deal with it.”

“Thanks. You’re a good man Harkness. I wish there were more people like you out there.”

“Goodnight Mr McIntyre.”

He didn’t answer, just rested his head on his folded arms at his desk. 

Three days later Owen carried Junior over to Scars meeting place, Elise following as she couldn’t risk pulling her stitches. The small weevil recognised the area and called out to his father, bouncing in place. Scar rushed out with the kind of speed you wouldn’t expect from such a large being, scooping up his miniature copy who squealed happily. Scar tilted his head at Owen who didn’t even react.

“Hey Scar. Junior’s been a good boy. We have something for you. To stop the sickness.” She smiled, the slowly healing cut in her lip looking less swollen and angry than it had.

The weevil perked up.

“See these things?” She held out a modified injector pen, made specifically for weevil skin. “If you catch one of your friends when they’ve just been bitten by one of the infected you stab them in the arm with this end and they won’t get sick. You only have two nights though before it won’t work, ok?” She held out a bag with a decent supply and he took it gratefully. “When you need more just push the button.” She pointed to the small device wrapped around his wrist and he practically bounced. “Go on then. You two take care.”

Owen smiled and watched the weevil go. “One of these days you’re going to come down here and they’re going to have a full on settlement.”

“I look forward to it. Watching a civilisation develop.”

“Weevil music.”

“Drums. Has to be drums.”

“As long as we don’t get any more rabid ones then I’ll buy them the sodding drums.”

“I’ll keep you to that.” 


End file.
